Advances in burn wound management: innovative strategies for healing and infection control

Burn wounds are insults to the skin that can be caused by various sources, including thermal, electrical, or chemical sources, and even natural sources such as the sun. A burn wound is conventionally categorized into 3 distinct zones: (1) coagulation, (2) ischemia/stasis, and (3) hyperemia. In addition to the potential for physiological scarring, burn wounds can lead to microbial infections, such as pneumonia and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, that are difficult to treat using conventional antimicrobial therapy. Patients whose burn wounds trigger a systemic inflammatory response experience further deterioration of their medical condition. Moreover, an increase in the incidence of antibiotic resistance poses a major challenge in the treatment of wounds. Researchers are shifting their focus to newer techniques, such as acellular fish skin, hydrogels, negative pressure wound therapy, nanotherapeutics, and stem cell therapy to counter the disadvantages associated with conventional therapy. This review provides an overview of burn wound causes, classifications, and treatments, and it discusses the healing phases of wounds, possible types of infections, the complexities associated with existing conventional treatments, and the advanced techniques currently used in burn wound management that have proven to reduce hospital stays and make treatment more cost-effective.